[Joker5]

the PA10 will bring the most benefit imo with full sized cans and dynamic IEMs. With balanced armatures it can sound a little metallic, and it's not always an improvement over a direct connection.

The PA10 isn't warm imo - I'd say it's very neutral, but it being class A it's controlled and grain free, which can come across as calm in a good way. If your source is warm, it'll let that quality shine through, it won't necessarily make it warmer, but it'll allow that warmth to filter through in a calm controlled manner.

Yeah, I don't need PA10 for my IE600, M8 is good enough for them, but for Sundaras will be very useful.

Thanks!

 

[Joker5]

So, is PA10 so much powerful than Mojo 2?

 

[Joker5]

Frankly I think to much is put on the difference amplifiers make.

Do you hear different sound from M8 versus Mojo 2 ?

I like the PA10 and I always come away from a listening session having enjoyed it but the difference is hard for me to quantify and isn’t something I can identify in comparative A/B testing.

I know I don’t hear immediately obvious differences with PA10 versus my original Mojo or any other gear in a quick comparison but I do seem to enjoy it over a long listening session regardless, maybe it is just psychological differences.

I would not buy it expecting a massive immediately obvious difference but others will have a different view I am certain.

Thanks!

How you set volume and other settings on Shanling DAP or Mojo when is connected with PA10?

 

[RIGATIO]

Thanks!

How you set volume and other settings on Shanling DAP or Mojo when is connected with PA10?

There is LO on Shanling M8, so this will set the volume to max automatically and will bypass the amp section on dap and will send a pure signal to the pa10. There is no need in adjusting the volume on dap, you will only play with a volume knob on the pa10.

 

[BS5711]

Thanks!

How you set volume and other settings on Shanling DAP or Mojo when is connected with PA10?

As RIGATIO said, just set the output to line out, that is what line out is for.

The Mojo needs to be set to the appropriate voltage output since the headphone out is the same as the line out, you actually listen to the Mojo straight off the DAC it doesn’t have a separate amplifier stage. You want around 2 volts output which is something like double dark blue in the upper part of the volume range. There is a chart available that gives you the voltages of different colour settings.

Do be aware that only the headphone out that corresponds to the input being used will work. You can only use the 3.5mm headphone out with a 3.5mm input and the 4.4mm out with a 4.4mm input.

 

[Joker5]

As RIGATIO said, just set the output to line out, that is what line out is for.

The Mojo needs to be set to the appropriate voltage output since the headphone out is the same as the line out, you actually listen to the Mojo straight off the DAC it doesn’t have a separate amplifier stage. You want around 2 volts output which is something like double dark blue in the upper part of the volume range. There is a chart available that gives you the voltages of different colour settings.

Do be aware that only the headphone out that corresponds to the input being used will work. You can only use the 3.5mm headphone out with a 3.5mm input and the 4.4mm out with a 4.4mm input.

So Pa10 will be upgrade on Mojo 2 in sq wise and power too?

 

[Jhwong]

It seems having a good battery life, awesome.

 

[123peter]

Unfortunately, the Chord Mojo 2 only has 2x 3.5mm headphone outputs
for two-person simultaneous listening or headphone comparisons.

Mojo 2 - https://headphones.com/blogs/reviews/chord-mojo-2-review-measurements
A common misconception is that Chord DACs have no output stage, but this is not true.
The engineer behind Chord's DAC designs, Rob Watts, tried to include as few components as possible in the signal path, but they do indeed have an output stage.

The magic and capabilities of the PA10 can be heard and best utilized through a 4.4 to 4.4 balanced connection.
(dedicated LO signal output does the job )

 

[BS5711]

So Pa10 will be upgrade on Mojo 2 in sq wise and power too?

I don’t have a Mojo 2 but like I said I am not a big believer in amps making a significant difference in sound quality.

Others will no doubt disagree but I am pretty confident, based on the gear I do have, I would not hear a difference worth worrying about.

Again I don’t believe any power difference is going to be dramatic, the Mojo 2 is quite powerful and enough for most headphones.

Your mileage may vary so really only you ca decide if you want to give the PA10 a try.

 

[Monkeyk2010]

So Pa10 will be upgrade on Mojo 2 in sq wise and power too?

I also think it depends on your headphones, on most dynamic headphones the mojo2 is powerful enough, but on planars the high current mode really makes a differents.
I tried the topping nx7/g5 xduoo XD-05 balanced, ifi gryphon and the mojo2 but the AP10 is by fare the one i would choose for my planars (because of the high current mode). The planars sound more dynamic (which is rare for my planars) and more smooth but still open en detailed. I like it ALOT.

 

[BS5711]

Unfortunately, the Chord Mojo 2 only has 2x 3.5mm headphone outputs
for two-person simultaneous listening or headphone comparisons.

Mojo 2 - https://headphones.com/blogs/reviews/chord-mojo-2-review-measurements
A common misconception is that Chord DACs have no output stage, but this is not true.
The engineer behind Chord's DAC designs, Rob Watts, tried to include as few components as possible in the signal path, but they do indeed have an output stage.

The magic and capabilities of the PA10 can be heard and best utilized through a 4.4 to 4.4 balanced connection.
(dedicated LO signal output does the job )

Not that it matters particularly but an “output stage” isn’t an entire amplification circuit as is typical for most similar devices.

The very article you linked to says the output is a function if the “pulse array converter”. I don’t pretend to understand the electronic design but pretty sure that isn’t an amplifier in the traditional sense.

 

[BS5711]

I also think it depends on your headphones, on most dynamic headphones the mojo2 is powerful enough, but on planars the high current mode really makes a differents.
I tried the topping nx7/g5 xduoo XD-05 balanced, ifi gryphon and the mojo2 but the AP10 is by fare the one i would choose for my planars (because of the high current mode). The planars sound more dynamic (which is rare for my planars) and more smooth but still open en detailed. I like it ALOT.

I messed with the current mode and with my Aeon Noire there was a, to me, subtle increase in bass presence with high current mode versus the iFi Diablo which is actually not especially good at high current delivery.

Like most things in this hobby the difference was subtle and an average casual listener would probably not even hear it.

 

[Monkeyk2010]

I messed with the current mode and with my Aeon Noire there was a, to me, subtle increase in bass presence with high current mode versus the iFi Diablo which is actually not especially good at high current delivery.

Like most things in this hobby the difference was subtle and an average casual listener would probably not even hear it.

Never heard the Diablo so cannot comment on that one, the toppings have alot of power but not that much current which some planars love. Great hobby still

 

[RIGATIO]

I messed with the current mode and with my Aeon Noire there was a, to me, subtle increase in bass presence with high current mode versus the iFi Diablo which is actually not especially good at high current delivery.

Like most things in this hobby the difference was subtle and an average casual listener would probably not even hear it.

When i was visiting my friend who isnt "audiophile enthusiast" (whatever that means), he could spot the difference between all the dongles, my dap and when the pa10 was in the chain. He could also hear a subtle increase in overall sound quality when the Current setting was set to High.
Im not a big source fan or believer, i put 90% of importance in iems/headphones but there are changes in sound, especially when a good quality amp is involved.
The pa10 gives this controll, calms down higher mids, adds more power to the bass (mainly midbass) and improves perceived "distance" between instruments, sounds less crowded.
The question is if these improvements are important to someone, especially when he already has a source with enough power for the headphones he uses. The answer to this question is a personal thing.
The fact is that most today sources are good enough for most iems and easier to drive DD headphones but there are subtle differences between them which can help to fine tune your final sound.
Even tho most of them are good/very good, i just dont like some of them (Mojo 2 for example- bit too edgy) and some i like a lot, like Shanling's daps or my favorite- AK daps. They make my music sound just like i want and nothing disturbs me, even when listening for longer sessions.

 

[Polky74]

If I may have my say, I too was convinced that the amplification only served to make the various IEMs sound acceptable. Then I got the RA2BFE and my belief was overturned... of course even now for practical reasons I listen to some IEMs connected directly to the dongles, but even the simplest ones to drive become a completely different thing when connected to the amplifier . The funny thing is that you don't notice it so much when you switch from the dongle's amplification to that of the amplifier but when you do the opposite. I listened to the Timeless with the amplifier and the UA4 then I decided to disconnect the RA2BFE and continue listening... it seemed that the sound had been completely emptied, the volume was more than sufficient but the body, the presence, the fullness, the weight of the notes, the width of the stage had disappeared. Practically all that remained was the sound signature of the dongle and little else. From that experience I understood that amplification does not only refer to the amount of volume... on the contrary, a fairly powerful dongle is enough for that. Then in the case of the PA10 I hope, as I have read, that there is also a particular color to differentiate it from the RA2BFE which instead makes transparency its main characteristic.